Image processing apparatus and its control method

ABSTRACT

An image processing apparatus includes a job execution unit configured to execute at least one of an input job accompanied by inputting of image data and an output job unaccompanied by inputting of image data, an image data storage unit configured to store image data in a predetermined memory, a reference information storage unit configured to store reference information to the image data stored in the memory in the same memory, and a control unit configured to control the image data storage unit to newly store image data in the memory when the job executed by the job execution unit is an input job, and the reference information storage unit to store the reference information to the image data stored in the memory without newly storing image data in the memory when the job executed by the job execution unit is an output job.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to history management of information, andmore particularly to an image processing apparatus for recording andmanaging image data input/output therein, and its control method.

2. Description of the Related Art

With increasing popularity of an image processing apparatus, anybody cannow easily copy or transmit a document by using the image processingapparatus. However, while convenience is enhanced for a user,information leakage such as copying or transmission of classifieddocuments has become a serious problem.

As a countermeasure to such a problem, an image processing system isknown which stores in a recording device all read image data, prints, orimage data transmitted during copying or transmission and therebyenables checking of a date, a place and a person concerning theprocessing, and the type of the processing from the data stored in therecording device. When images are managed by such a system, a systemmanager can investigate/trace an image processing apparatus which hasprocessed an information-leaked document by checking target image data(e.g., see JP A 7-212602).

However, in the conventional information processing system, as all theinput/output image data are stored in the recording device, recordingefficiency is poor, and a problem of quick consumption of the storagecapacity of the recording device arises if a real image is recordedevery time during BOX printing or broadcast transmission. Thus, a largestorage capacity recording device is necessary to store the image data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed with the aforementionedproblems in mind, and it is an object of the invention to provide animage processing apparatus which can efficiently record input/outputdata and reference information thereof in a security unit, and itsmethod.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an image processingapparatus includes a job execution unit configured to execute at leastone of an input job accompanied by inputting of image data and an outputjob unaccompanied by inputting of image data, an image data storage unitconfigured to store image data input by execution of a job in apredetermined memory separately from the execution of the input job inconjunction with the execution of the job by the job execution unit, areference information storage unit configured to store referenceinformation to the image data stored in the memory in the same memoryseparately from the execution of the job in conjunction with theexecution of the job by the job execution unit, and a control unitconfigured to control the image data storage unit to newly store imagedata input by the execution of the input job in the memory when the jobexecuted by the job execution unit is an input job, and the referenceinformation storage unit to store the reference information of the imagedata stored in the memory without newly storing image data handled by anoutput job in the memory by the image data storage unit when the jobexecuted by the job execution unit is an output job.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method ofcontrolling an image processing apparatus includes a job execution stepof executing at least one of an input job accompanied by inputting ofimage data and an output job unaccompanied by inputting of image data,an image data storage step of storing image data input by execution of ajob in a predetermined memory separately from the execution of the inputjob in conjunction with the execution of the job by the job executionstep, a reference information storage step of storing referenceinformation to the image data stored in the memory in the same memoryseparately from the execution of the job in conjunction with theexecution of the job by the job execution step, and a control step ofcontrolling the image data storage step to newly store image data inputby the execution of the input job in the memory when the job executed bythe job execution step is an input job, and the reference informationstorage step to store the reference information of the image data storedin the memory without newly storing image data handled by an output jobin the memory by the image data storage step when the job executed bythe job execution step is an output job.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a computerreadable storage medium is provided which stores a program for causingan image processing apparatus to execute the control method or acomputer program for causing a computer to execute the control method.

According to the present invention, the image processing apparatus canefficiently record the input/output image data and reference informationthereof in the security unit, and facilitate retrieving/tracing of theimage data.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of exemplary embodiments with referenceto the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a basic image processingsystem which includes an image processing apparatus according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the imageprocessing system of the first embodiment mounted in a copying machine1001 or 1010.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration when the copying machine1001 of the first embodiment writes image data in a storage server 1005and a history record in a history management server 1006.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a history record stored in thehistory management server 1006.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a history record stored in thehistory management server 1006.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data flow for each job kind according tothe first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a method of storing an image in the securityunit for each job kind.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure during job execution in theimage processing system of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of writing in the historymanagement server 1006 and the storage server 1005 according to thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of writing in a historymanagement server 1006 and a storage server 1005 according to a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure during jobexecution which takes an output form of N in 1 according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of writing in a historymanagement server 1006 and a storage server 1005 according to the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a processing procedure during job executionwhich takes an output form of 1 to N according to a fourth embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of writing in a historymanagement server 1006 and a storage server 1005 according to the fourthembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following description of exemplary embodiment (s) is/are merelyillustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

Processes, techniques, apparatus, and materials as known by one ofordinary skill in the art may not be discussed in detail but areintended to be part of the enabling description where appropriate. Forexample, circuit patterns deposited on a substrate may be discussed,however these systems and the methods to fabricate these system as knownby one of ordinary skill in the relevant art is intended to be part ofthe enabling disclosure herein where appropriate.

Note that similar reference numerals and letters refer to similar itemsin the figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, it maynot be discussed for following figures.

Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail below in accordancewith the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a basic image processingsystem which includes an image processing apparatus according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, multi function peripherals (MFP) 1001 and 1010 are devicesfor reading, copying and printing a document, transmitting images tovarious devices, and receiving images from various devices. Adatabase/mail server 1003 is a computer in which an application isoperated to store data read by the MFP's 1001 and 1010. A clientcomputer 1004 is a computer connected to the database/mail server 1003to download and display the stored data. The client computer 1004 caninstruct necessary printing to the MFP's 1001 and 1010.

A storage server 1005 is a monitoring storage device for storing imagedata input/output from the MFP's 1001 and 1010. A history managementserver 1006 records history (log) regarding executions of a copyingoperation, a printing operation, and a transmission operation of theMFP's 1001 and 1010 and reference information of an image stored in thestorage server 1005. A chasing server 1009 is a server for obtaining andrecording data of the storage server 1005 and the history server 1006.According to the image processing system, under an environment where theplurality of MFP's, the storage server, and the history server arepresent, by installing the chasing server, data for security managementthat accompanies the operations of the MFP's 1001 and 1010 can beunitarily managed. The storage server 1005, the history managementserver 1006, and the chasing server 1009 may be configured as separatedevices, or some thereof may be integrated in one device.

A network 1007 is a network such as Ethernet (registered trademark) towhich the MPF 1001, the database/mail server 1003, the client computer1004, the storage server 1005, the history management server 1006, andthe chasing server 1009 are connected.

The MFP's 1001 and 1010 incorporate the same functions as those of thestorage server 1005 and the history management server 1006, and includea monitoring storage device for storing all image data input/output bythe MFP's 1001 and 1010, and a history recording device for recordinghistory of the copying operation and the transmission operation thereof.

A client computer 1011 is connected to the MFP 1010 to instruct printoutputting or Internet faxing (IFAX). A network 1012 is a network suchas Ethernet (registered trademark) to which the MFP 1010 and the clientcomputer 1011 is connected. A facsimile 1002 is a facsimile device forreceiving data read by the MFP 1010 through a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) 1008 to print it. The facsimile 1002 can transmit imagedata to the MPF 1010 through the PSTN 1008. The networks 1007 and 1012such as Ethernet (registered trademark) are interconnected throughInternet 1020.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the imageprocessing system of the first embodiment mounted in the MFP 1001 or1010.

In FIG. 2, a controller unit 2000 is connected to a scanner 2070 whichis an image input device and a printer 2095 which is an image outputdevice, and to a LAN 2011 and a PSTN 2051 to input/output imageinformation or device information.

In the controller unit 2000, a CPU 2001 is a controller for controllingthe entire system. A RAM 2002 is a system work memory for operating theCPU 2001, i.e., an image memory for temporarily storing image data. AROM 2003 is a boot ROM to store a boot program of the system. A HDD 2004is a hard disk drive for storing system software and image data. Ahistory record and image data for tracing investigation at the time ofsecret leakage described below are temporarily stored in the HDD 2004.An operation unit I/F 2006 is an interface unit with an operation unit(UI) 2012 having a touch panel, and outputs an image to be displayed inthe operation unit 2012 thereto. The operation unit I/F 2006 plays arole of transmitting information input by a system user from theoperation unit 2012 to the CPU 2001.

A network I/F 2010 is connected to the LAN 2011 (equivalent to network1007 or 1012 of FIG. 1) to input/output information. A modem 2050 isconnected to the PSTN 2051 to input/output information. The abovedevices are arranged on a system bus 2007.

An image bus I/F 2005 is a bus bridge for connecting the system bus 2007to an image bus 2008 for transferring image data at a high speed, andfor converting a data structure. The image bus 2008 is constituted, forexample, by a PCI bus or IEEE 1394.

The following devices are arranged on the image bus 2008. A raster imageprocessor (RIP) 2060 rasterizes page description language (PDL) codestransmitted from the client computers 1004 and 1011 to bitmap images. Adevice I/F unit 2020 connects a scanner 2070 which is an imageinput/output device and a printer 2095 to the controller unit 2000, andexecutes conversion processing to transfer image data. A scanner imageprocessing unit 2080 corrects, processes or edits image data input fromthe scanner unit 2070. A printer image processing unit 2090 executescorrection, resolution conversion or the like for printer output imagedata according to characteristics of the printer unit 2095. An imagerotation unit 2030 rotates image data. An image compression unit 2040executes JPEG compression/decompression processing for multivalued imagedata, and JBIG, MMR or MH compression/decompression processing forbinary image data.

An IC card slot 2100 executes user authentication by an IC card medium.By this user authentication, a user is specified when executing a job.By inputting a proper personal identification number (PIN) code afterinsertion of the IC card medium, a key used for encryption/decryptioncan be input/output. An encryption/decryption processing unit 2110 is ahardware accelerator board for encrypting/decrypting data by using thekey of the IC card slot 2100 or a key unique to the device. An OCR/OMRprocessing unit 2111 decodes character information or a two-dimensionalbarcode contained in the image data to convert it into a character code.

The MFP 1001 or 1010 is configured as described above, and capable ofexecuting a plurality of functions such as a COPY job, a PDL print job,a SCAN job, a BOX storage job, a FAX (I-FAX) reception job, a FAXtransmission job, a SEND job, a reception print job, and a BOX printjob. Each job will be described below in detail.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example when the MFP 1001 of the firstembodiment writes the image data in the storage server 1005 and thehistory record in the history management server 1006. In the descriptionbelow, the MFP's 1001 and 1010 will be identical in configuration, anddescription of the MFP 1001 will be applied to the MFP 1010 unlessspecified otherwise. The history record is history information generatedin conjunction with execution of the above jobs by the MFP 1001. Theimage data transmitted from the MFP 1001 to the storage server 1005 isused for checking which image has been input/output by the above jobs.For example, when leakage of a classified image is detected, an image ofthe storage server 1005 is used by the manager or the like toinvestigate a cause of the leakage. In the configuration example of FIG.3, Ethernet (registered trademark) is used, and a simple object accessprotocol (SOAP) is used for transferring the image data from the MFP1001 to the storage server 1005. Other existing protocols may be usedfor transferring the image data. When necessary, encryption processingthat uses, for example, a secure sockets layer (SSL) may be used.Further, the data in the storage server 1005 may be subjected toprocessing such as encryption and stored.

In the configuration example of FIG. 3, the SOAP is used for writing thehistory record from the MFP 1001 to the history management server 1006.However, an existing logging protocol such as syslog may be used as analternative. When necessary, encryption processing that uses, forexample, SSL may be executed. The data in the history management server1006 may be encrypted and stored.

According to the embodiment, the MFP 1001, the storage server 1005, andthe history management server 1006 are separately configured. However,one or all of them may be integrated in one device. Setting informationnecessary for accessing the storage server 1005 and the historymanagement server 1006 is protected so that it can be set to the MFP1001 only by the system manager of the MFP 1001.

Each of FIGS. 4 and 5 shows an example of a history record stored in thehistory management server 1006. Items of the history record describedbelow are recorded in conjunction with jobs executed by the MFP's 1001and 1010. The items include an item recorded before job execution, anitem recorded during execution, and an item recorded after executioncompletion. In FIG. 4, lines indicated by 4001 to 4021 are items, anddescription thereof is in an item column. A tag name column is a tagname for each item to identify data. 4001 is an item of a job kind,indicating a job kind such as COPY, FAX or PDL. A tag name becomes“JobKind”. 4002 is an item of a job name, indicating a job name of anexecuted job. A tag name is “JobName”. 4003 is an item of a job client,indicating a user name who has instructed job execution. A tag name is“ClientName”. 4004 is an item of character code information, indicatingcharacter code information used for the record. A tag name is“CharacterCode”.

4005 is an item of a section code, indicating a section number to whichthe user who has instructed the job execution belongs. A tag name is“SectionNo”. 4006 is an item of a job start time, indicating a job starttime of a recording target job of the history record. A tag name is“StartTime”. 4007 is an item of a job end time, indicating an end timeof the recording target job of the history record. A tag name is“EndTime”. 4008 is an item of a job end result, indicating a content ofjob end result such as OK or Canceled. A tag name is “Result”. 4009 isan item of a resource count per copy, indicating the number of pages ofa job. A tag name is “ResourceCount”. 4010 is an item of the number ofcopies, indicating a setting as to the number of copies to be output. Atag name is “Copies”. 4011 is an item of a communication method,indicating a kind of a communication method. A tag name is “Protocol”.4012 is an item of a communication type, indicating transmission orreception. A tag name is “ComType”. 4013 is an item of a used linenumber, indicating a used telephone number or the like. A tag name is“LineInfo”. 4014 is an item of a transmission/reception side address,indicating an address or a telephone number of the opposite side. A tagname is “NoticeAddress”. 4015 is an item of a transmission/receptionside name, indicating a named of a job opposite side. A tag name is“ComAbbreviation”. 4016 is an item of a subject, indicating a subject inan e-mail transmission/reception job or the like. A tag name is“Subject”. 4017 is an item of an image path name, indicating an imagestorage side in an image storage job. A tag name is “PathName”. 4018 isan item of a device name, indicating a name attached to a device. A tagname is “DeviceName”. 4019 is an item of a device serial number,indicating a serial number unique to a device. A tag name is“DeviceSerialNo”. 4020 is an item of a device address, indicating an IPaddress or the like of a device. A tag name is “DeviceAddress”. 4021 isan item of a document ID for specifying a document to be treated by ajob. By arraying a plurality of document ID's, a plurality of documentscan be represented. A tag name is “DocumentID”. The document ID isrepresented by an ASCII character string of totally 32 digits of “deviceserial number” (10 digit ASCII)+“document generation time yymmddhhmmss”(12 digit ASCII)+“serial number incremented for each job by device (10digit ASCII)”. The items 4001 to 4021 are not necessarily used. When notused, items are recorded as having no contents.

Items shown in FIG. 5 are similar to those of FIG. 4, and lines of 5001to 5021 correspond to the lines of 4001 to 4021. Job kinds indicated by4001, and 5001 e are different in examples 1, 2 and 3, and items usedaccording to job kinds or the like also vary. For example, in a FAX jobof the example 3, a telephone number of an own device is recorded in theitem 5013, and an opposite side telephone number is recorded in thetransmission/reception side address of the item 5014.

FIG. 6 shows a data flow for each job kind according to the firstembodiment. In FIG. 6, scanners 6002 and 6202 correspond to the scanner2070, and printers 6003, 6103 and 6503 correspond to the printer 2095 ofFIG. 2. HDD's 6004, 6104, 6204, 6404, and 6504 correspond to the HDD2004 of FIG. 2.

In FIG. 6, a COPY job 6001 temporarily stores an image read from thescanner 6002 in the HDD 6004, and outputs it to the printer 6003. Duringjob execution, the history record described above with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5 and the image read from the scanner 6002 are recorded in asecurity unit 6005. The security unit is a generic name of the storageserver 1005 and the history management server 1006 (similar in thesecurity units 6105, 6205, 6305, 6405, and 6505).

A PDL print job 6101 rasterizes PDL data sent from a host computer 6102to create an image. The rasterized image is temporarily recorded in theHDD 6014, and output to the printer 6103. During job execution, thehistory record described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 and therasterized image are recorded in the security unit 6105.

A SCAN job or a BOX storage job 6201 records the image sent from thescanner 6202 or the image obtained by rasterizing the PDL data sent fromthe host computer 6023 in the HDD 6204. During job execution, thehistory record described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 and theinput image are recorded in the security unit 6205. The image recordedin the HDD 6204 by this job can be printed or transmitted later.

A FAX reception job or an I-FAX reception job 6301 records an image sentfrom a transmission terminal 6302 of a FAX or the like of the oppositeside in the HDD 6304. During job execution, the history record describedabove with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 and the image received from theFAX or the like 6302 of the opposite side are recorded in the securityunit 6305. The image recorded in the HDD 6304 by this job can be printedor transmitted later.

In the case of executing a job for reading an original image to transmitFAX/I-FAX or transmitting an image by e-mail or a protocol such as filetransfer protocol (FTP) or a server message block (SMB), it is seeminglya single FAX/I-FAX transmission job or a SEND job. According to theembodiment, however, it is treated as a job constituted of two kinds ofjobs, i.e., a SCAN job or a reception job and a FAX/I-FAX jobinternally.

The FAX/I-FAX transmission job or the SEND job 6401 reads an imagestored in the HDD 6404 by the SCAN job 6201 or the reception job 6301 totransmit it to a device 6403 of the opposite side. During job execution,the history record described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 andreference information of the image transmitted to the device 6403 of theopposite side are recorded in the security unit 6405. In this case, byrecording reference information for uniquely specifying the imagepreviously recorded in each of the security units 6205 and 6305 withoutrecording a real image during recording in the security unit 6405, aprocessing speed is increased and the amount of recording is reducedwithout recording the same image many times. The SEND job is a genericname of a job image-transmitted by e-mail or a protocol such as FTP orSMB.

A reception print job/BOX print job 6501 reads the image stored in theHDD 6504 by the job 6201 or 6301 to output it to the printer 6503. Theexecution of the job 6501 is accompanied by recording of the historyrecord described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 and referenceinformation of the image output to the printer 6503 in the security unit6505. In this case, by recording reference information for uniquelyspecifying the image previously recorded in each of the security units6205 and 6305 without recording a real image during recording in thesecurity unit 6505, a processing speed is increased and the amount ofrecording is reduced without recording the same image many times.

By combining the jobs, it is possible to print a FAX-received document,and to transmit a scan image read by the SCAN job by FAX.

FIG. 7 shows a method of storing an image in the security unit for eachjob kind. In FIG. 7, a column of a job kind 7001 indicates a job kindsuch as COPY or PDL print. A column of a job type 7002 indicates a jobtype such as an input job or an output job of an image. A column of realimage recording 7003 indicates setting as to a job for recording a realimage in the security unit or a job for recording only referenceinformation to a real image without recording the real image. This tableis stored in the HDD 2004 or the ROM 2003 of each of the MFP's 1001 and1010.

In this case, in the COPY job 7101, the job type 7002 is an “input job”7102 accompanied by image inputting. Accordingly, the real imagerecording 7003 is “YES” 7103.

In the PDL-PRINT job 7201, the job type 7002 is an “input job” 7202accompanied by image inputting. Accordingly, the real image recording7003 is “YES” 7203.

In the SCAN job/BOX storage job 7301, the job type 7002 is an “inputjob” 7302 accompanied by image inputting. Accordingly, the real imagerecording 7003 is “YES” 7303.

In reception job 7401, the job type 7002 is an “input job” 7402accompanied by image inputting. Accordingly, the real image recording7003 is “YES” 7403.

In the transmission job 7501, the job type 7002 is an “output job” 7502of only image outputting unaccompanied by image inputting (documentreading operation during FAX/I-FAX transmission/SEND is treated as aSCAN job). Accordingly, the real image recording 7003 becomes “NO” 7503.Hence, the transmission job 7501 records reference information of theimage in place of the real image.

In the BOX print job/reception print job 7601, the job type 7002 is an“output job” 7602 of only image outputting unaccompanied by imageinputting. Accordingly, the real image recording 7003 becomes “NO” 7603.Hence, the BOX print job/reception print job 7601 records the referenceinformation of the image in place of the real image.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure during jobexecution in the image processing system of the first embodiment. Thisprocess is executed by the CPU 2001 of the MFP 1001 or 1010. First, upona start of a job, log-recording of a job start time is executed (stepS801). In this case, an area necessary for the log-recording is secured,and currently established items of the history record stored in thehistory management server 1006 are written in the HDD 2004. Among theitems of the history record, the items established at the job start timeare, for example, a job kind (JobKind) 4001, a job client (ClientName)4003, a document ID (DocumentID) 4021, and the like. The item of thedocument ID 4021 is especially important, which becomes information forspecifying by a document unit an image stored in the storage server1005. For example, when it is a new document regarding a job kind whosejob type is an input job, a new document ID is generated. An itemindefinite at the job start time is subjected to writing processing at ajob end time. Additionally, an area for items to be written at the jobend time is secured here.

Next, judgment is made as to whether the log-recording has normally beenexecuted (step S802). As a result, if it is judged that thelog-recording has not normally been executed or a necessary area has notbeen secured (No), job end processing is executed without continuing thejob execution (step S811). Then, upon completion of the job endprocessing, the process of the flowchart is finished. On the other hand,if it is judged in the step S802 that the necessary area has beensecured and the log-recording has normally been executed (Yes), theprocess proceeds to step S803.

In the step S803, the process waits for inputting of image data. When animage of one page is inputted, the process proceeds to step S804. Whenthe job type 7002 is an output job, the processing of the step S803becomes image reading from the HDD 2004.

In step S804, reference is made to the table of FIG. 7 to judge whetherthe job type 7002 is an input job. As a result, if it is judged that thejob type 7002 is an input job such as a COPY job, a BOX storage job or areception job (Yes), the process proceeds to step S805. On the otherhand, if it is judged that the job type 7002 is an output job such as atransmission job or a BOX print job (No), the process proceeds to stepS812. In the case of the output job, without recoding a real image, theinput job previously executed to process the same document, log-recordsthe same ID as the document ID 4021 stored in the storage server 1005 inthe step S801, so that reference information of the document isrecorded. Accordingly, the image processed by the output job can bespecified. Upon completion of the processing of the step S812, theprocess proceeds to step S806.

In step S805, the job type 7002 executes an input job. In other words,the image input in the step S803 is stored in the storage server 1005.In this case, an image ID which becomes unique for each page is added.When necessary, resolution conversion or color mode conversion formaking a color image black and white is executed, whereby an image datasize can be compressed. The image ID is represented by an ACSIIcharacter string of totally 32 digits of “device serial number” (10digit ASCII)+“image recording time yymmddhhmmss” (12 digitASCII”+“serial number incremented by device for each image recording (10digit ASCII). In the step S805, the image data may be temporarily storedin the HDD 2003 of the MFP instead of storing in the storage server1005. In this case, the image data stored in the HDD 2004 is transferredto the storage server 1005 by predetermined different timing.

Next, in the step S806, judgment is made as to whether the data has beenstored in the storage device 1005 or the HDD 2004. As a result, theprocess proceeds to step S807 if the storage is performed (Yes), or tostep S813 if the data has not been stored (No). In the step S813,cancellation processing of the job is executed to proceed to step S809.Through this processing, it is possible to prevent transmission orprinting/outputting of the image that has not been stored in the storageserver 1005.

In the step S807, the image input in the step S803 is stored in the HDD2004. The processing of the BOX storage job, the SCAN job and thereception job is finished upon storage in the HDD 2004. However, in thecase of the COPY job and the PDL print job, print output processing tothe printer 2095 is executed. In the case of the transmission job,transmission processing that uses the network I/F 2010 or the modem 2050is executed.

As the image storage in the storage server 1005 is checked in the stepS806, the image printed or transmitted is always stored in the securityunit, thereby enabling investigation when secret leakage is detectedlater. When the processing of the step S807 ends, the process proceedsto step S808. In the step S808, judgment is made as to whether the imagereceived in the step S803 is a last page. As a result, the processproceeds to step S809 if it is a last page (Yes), or returns to the stepS803 to wait for a next image when it is not a last page (No).

In the step S809, the process waits for a job end. Then, in step S810,log-recording processing of an item that could not be written because ofits indefiniteness in the step S801 such as a job end result 4008 isexecuted for the history management server 1006. When the log-recordingends, the process of the flowchart comes to an end.

FIG. 9 shows an example of writing in the history management server 1006and the storage server 1005 according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention. In FIG. 9, in an input job 9001, the job type 7002 isan input job, e.g., a BOX storage job 7301. In an output job 9101, thejob type 7002 is an output job, e.g., a BOX-PRINT job 7601. In otherwords, the output job 9101 is a job for outputting an image input by theinput job 9001.

As shown in FIG. 9, the input job 9001 records a history record 9002 inthe history management server 1006, and a document file 9010 in thestorage server 1005. The history record 9002 is constituted of itemsincluding a document ID 9003 described above with reference to FIG. 4.The document file 9010 is constituted of a document ID 9011 and imagedata 9020, 9030, and 9040. Three data are present in FIG. 9, but thenumber of image data may vary depending on job kinds. The document ID9011 and the document ID 9003 are identical ID's. Accordingly, thedocument file 9010 is linked with the history record 9002 to represent acorrespondence. The image data 9020 is written in the storage server1005 in the step S805, and constituted of an image ID 9021, an imageattribute 9022, and an image 9023. The image ID is an ID unique for eachreal image, and the image attribute 9022 is an image format or the likeof the image 9023. The image 9023 is an image itself. In the storageserver 1005, one document contains one file, and a plurality of pages(images) can be provided. There is one unique document ID 9011 for onedocument.

The output job 9101 records a history record 9102 in the historymanagement server 1006. There is no document file to be recorded by theoutput job. By recording the same value of the document ID 9103 as thatof the document ID 9011 recorded in the previous job, the documentoutput by the output job 9101 is represented. By this method, as noimage recording occurs in the storage server 1005 during outputting, itis possible to reduce the amount of recording, and to prevent areduction in job execution speed.

As described above, by the configuration and the processing of the imageprocessing apparatus according to the first embodiment which performsreference information management by document units, a date, a place, anda person of processing, and a type of processing can be efficientlyrecorded. It is accordingly possible to limit a reduction in jobexecution speed to a minimum and to execute and record a great volume ofjobs in the security unit.

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Abasic system configuration, a basic system block diagram, aconfiguration of a security unit, recorded contents of a history record,data flowchart of each job, and an image storing method of the secondembodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment described abovewith reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, and thus description thereof will beomitted.

A processing procedure during job execution according to the secondembodiment will be described below by using a flowchart of FIG. 8. Theprocessing procedure during job execution according to the secondembodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment except some parts.Parts of the processing procedure different from that of the firstembodiment will be described below.

According to the second embodiment, reference information of an image ismanaged by an image page unit. Thus, in step S812, differently from thefirst embodiment, an input job that has input the same image as waspreviously executed, records in a storage server 1005 the same image IDas was stored in the storage server 1005. Accordingly, an imageprocessed by an output job can be specified. Then, when the processingof the step S812 ends, the process proceeds to step S806.

In step S805, a job type 7002 processes the input job. In other words,the image received in step S803 is stored in the storage server 1005. Inthis case, an image ID unique for each page is added. When necessary,resolution conversion or color mode conversion for making a color imageblack and white is executed, thereby enabling compression of an imagedata size.

FIG. 10 shows an example of writing the data in a history managementserver 1006 and the storage server 1005 according to the secondembodiment. In FIG. 10, in an input job 9501, the job type 7002 is aninput job, e.g., a BOX storage job 7301. In an output job 9601, the jobtype 7002 is an output job, e.g., a BOX-PRINT job 7601. In other words,the output job 9601 is a job for outputting an image input by the inputjob 9501.

The input job 9501 records a history record 9502 in the historymanagement server 1006, and a document file 9510 in the storage server1005. The history record 9502 is constituted of items including adocument ID 9503 described above with reference to FIG. 4. The documentfile 9510 is constituted of a document ID 9511 and image data 9520,9530, and 9540. In FIG. 9, there are three image data. However, thenumber of image data may vary depending on job kinds. The document ID9511 and the document ID 9503 have the same ID. Accordingly, thedocument file 9510 is linked with the history record 9502 to represent acorrespondence.

The image data 9520 is written in the storage server 1005 in the stepS805, and is constituted by an image ID 9521, an image attribute 9522,and an image 9523. The image ID is an ID unique for each page, and theimage attribute 9522 is an image format or the like of the image 9523.The image 9523 is an image itself. In the storage server 1005, onedocument is constituted by one file, and a plurality of pages (images)can be provided. There is one unique document ID 9511 for one document.

The output job 9601 records a history record 9602 in the historymanagement server 1006, and a document file 9610 in the storage server1005. The history record 9602 includes a document ID 9603 describedabove with reference to FIG. 4. The document file 9610 is constituted bya document ID 9611 and image data 9620, 9630, and 9640. By the documentID 9611 and the document ID 9603, the document file 9610 is linked withthe history record 9602 to represent a correspondence.

The image data 9620 is written in the storage server 1005 in the stepS812, and is constituted by an image ID 9621 and an image attribute9622, but no real image such as an image 9523 is present. The image ID9621 shows a value equal to that of the image ID 9521 unique for eachreal image, indicating that a real image thus output is an image 9523.The image attribute 9622 is an image format or the like of the image9523. An attribute that is changed with respect to the image 9523 duringoutputting such as a binding margin amount or header or footerinformation can be recorded.

Through the system of recoding the reference information of the imagebased on the image ID 9621 and the image ID 9521, the outputting is notaccompanied by image recording in the storage server 1005. Accordingly,it is possible to reduce a recording amount and to prevent a reductionin job execution speed. Additionally, by recording the changed imageattribute in the image attribute 9501 accompanying the execution of theoutput job 9601, it is possible to represent layout information of abinding margin or additional information of the header or the footerwhich are changed from the image 9523 of the input job 9501.

As described above, by the configuration and the processing of thesecond embodiment which executes reference information management byimage units, a date, a place and a person of processing, and a type ofprocessing can be efficiently recorded, and thus it is possible to limita speed reduction during job execution to a minimum and to execute andrecord a great volume of jobs in the security unit. Moreover, the layoutinformation or the additional information of the header or the footerwhich are changed during the outputting can be represented, whereby moreaccurate record can be kept.

Third Embodiment

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Thethird embodiment will be described by way of job processing contentswhich take an output form called N in 1. The N in 1 means that an inputimage of N pages is laid out (synthesized) in one page that is to beoutput. In this case, when necessary, an image is reduced. A basicsystem configuration diagram, a basis system diagram, a security unitconfiguration, recorded contents of a history record, a data flowchartof each job kind, and an image storing method of the third embodimentare similar to those of the first embodiment described above withreference to FIG. 7, and thus description thereof will be omitted. Aprocessing procedure during job execution according to the thirdembodiment where a job type 7002 is an input job, is similar to that ofthe flowchart of FIG. 8 of the first and second embodiments, and thusdescription thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure during the jobexecution which takes the output form of N in 1 according to the thirdembodiment of the present invention. The process of the flowchart isexecuted by a CPU 2001 of a MFP 1001 or 1010.

First, upon a start of a job, log-recording at the job start time isexecuted (S1101). This processing is similar to that of the step S801 ofFIG. 8.

Next, judgment is made as to whether the log-recording has normally beenexecuted (step S1102). As a result, if it is judged that thelog-recording has not normally been executed or a necessary area has notbeen secured (No), job end processing is executed without continuing thejob execution (step S1112). Then, when the job end processing iscompleted, the process of the flowchart is finished. On the other hand,if it is judged in the step S1102 that the necessary area has beensecured and the log-recording has normally been executed (Yes), theprocess proceeds to step S1103.

In the step S1103, the process waits for inputting of image data. Uponinputting of an image, the process proceeds to step S1104. Since the jobof N in 1 of the third embodiment is an output job, the inputtingbecomes image reading from a HDD 2004. In the step S1104, judgment ismade as to whether N images necessary for N in 1 have been prepared. Theprocess proceeds to step S1105 if the images necessary for layout havebeen prepared (Yes), or returns to the step S1103 to wait for next imageinputting if the images have not been prepared (No)

In the step S1105, layout processing of N in 1 is carried out. In thisprocessing, an image of N pages is laid out in one page. When the layoutprocessing ends, the process proceeds to step S1106.

In the step S1106, reference image of the image subjected to the layoutprocessing is stored in a storage server 1005. According to the thirdembodiment, as the reference information of the image is managed by animage unit, an input job that has input the same image as was previouslyexecuted, records in a storage server 1005 an ID identical to an imageID of the image stored in the storage server 1005. In the job of N in 1,since one image is created from a plurality of images, image ID'Sindicating a plurality of images constituting the image subjected to thelayout processing in the step S1105 are enumerated to be recorded.Accordingly, it is possible to specify an image processed by an outputjob of N in 1. In this case, information regarding where and what imageis laid out is recorded together as an image attribute. Based on thisattribute information, it is possible to easily reproduce the image ofthe same layout configuration later. When the processing of the stepS1106 ends, the process proceeds to next step S1107.

Next, in the step S1107, judgment is made as to whether the data hasbeen stored in the storage device 1005. As a result, the processproceeds to step S1108 if the storage is performed (Yes), or proceeds tostep S1113 if the storage is not performed (No). In the step s1113,cancellation processing of the job is executed and the process proceedsto step S1110. Through this processing, it is possible to preventtransmission or printing/outputting of the image that has not beenstored in the storage server 1005.

In the step S1108, the image subjected to the layout processing in thestep S1105 is output. For example, if the job being executed is a printjob, a print is output to a printer 2095, and transmission processingthat uses a network I/F 2010 or a modem 2050 is executed if the job is atransmission job. Since the image storage in the storage server 1105 ischecked in the step S1107, reference information and an image attributeof the image printed or transmitted are always stored in a securityunit, enabling easy investigation later.

When the processing of the step S1108 ends, the process proceeds to stepS1109. In the step S1109, judgment is made as to whether the imageoutput in the step S1108 is a last page. As a result, the processproceeds to step S1110 if it is a last page (Yes), or returns to thestep S1103 to wait for next image inputting when it is not a last page(No).

In the step S1110, the process waits for a job end. Then, in step S111,log-recording processing of an item that could not be written because ofits indefiniteness in the step S1101 such as a job end result 4008 isexecuted to the history management server 1006. When the log-recordingends, the process of the flowchart comes to an end.

FIG. 12 shows an example of writing the data in the history managementserver 1006 and the storage server 1005 according to the thirdembodiment.

In FIG. 12, in an input job 30001, a job type 7002 is an input job,e.g., a BOX storage job 7301. In an output job 30101, the job type 7002is an output job, e.g., a BOX-PRINT job 7601. In other words, the outputjob 30101 is a job for outputting an image input by the input job 30001.

The input job 30001 records a history record 30002 in the historymanagement server 1006, and a document file 30010 in the storage server1005. The history record 30002 is constituted of items including adocument ID 30003 described above with reference to FIG. 4. The documentfile 30010 is constituted of a document ID 30011 and image data 30020and 30030. By the document ID 30011 and the document ID 30003, thedocument file 30010 is linked with the history record 30002 to representa correspondence. The image data 30020 is written in the storage server1005 in the step S805, and constituted of an image ID 30021, an imageattribute 30022, and an image 30023. The image ID is an ID unique foreach real image, and the image attribute 30022 is an image format or thelike of the image 30023. The image 30023 is a real image. The image data30030, an image ID 30031, an image attribute 30032, and an image 30033are similar as described as to 30020 to 30023.

In the storage server 1005, one document contains one file, and aplurality of pages (images) can be provided. There is one uniquedocument ID 30011 for one document.

The output job 30101 records a history record 30102 in the historymanagement server 1006, and a document file 30110 in the storage server1005. The history record 30102 is constituted of items including adocument ID 30103 described above with reference to FIG. 4. The documentfile 30110 is constituted of a document ID 30111 and each image data30120. By the document ID 30111 and the document ID 30103, the documentfile 30110 is linked with the history record 30102 to represent acorrespondence.

The image data 30120 is written in the storage server 1005 in the stepS1106, and constituted of an image ID 30121, an image ID 30122, and animage attribute 30123, but no real image such as an image 30023 or animage 30033 is present. The image ID 30121 and the image ID 30122 showvalues equal to those of an image ID 30021 and an image ID 30022 uniqueto each real image, which indicates that a real image thus output isconstituted of an image 30023 and an image 30033. The image attribute30123 is an image format or the like of the image 30023 and the image30033.

When the layout of the N in 1 of the flowchart of FIG. 11 is executed,the two images, i.e., the image 30023 and the image 30033 are laid outin one page and outputted. Then, the layout information is recorded inthe image attribute 30123. Through the system of recoding the referenceinformation of the image based on the image ID 30121 and the image ID30122, as well as the image ID 30021 and the image ID 30031, theoutputting is not accompanied by image recording in the storage server1005. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce a recording amount and toprevent a reduction in job execution speed. Additionally, by recordingthe image attribute that is changed in layout to N in 1, in the imageattribute 30123 accompanying the execution of the output job 30101, itis possible to represent reduction information or layout information ofan image that is changed from the image 30023 and the image 30033 of theinput job 30001.

As described above, by the configuration and the processing of the thirdembodiment which executes reference information management by imageunits, a date, a place and a person of processing, and a type ofprocessing can be efficiently recorded, and thus it is possible to limita speed reduction during job execution to a minimum and to execute andrecord a great volume of jobs in the security unit. Moreover, the layoutinformation changed during the outputting can be represented, wherebymore accurate record can be kept.

Fourth Embodiment

A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below.The fourth embodiment will be described by way of job processingcontents which take an output form called 1 to N. The 1 to N means thatan input image of one page is divided into N pages and laid out foroutput. In this case, when necessary, an image is expanded. A basicsystem configuration diagram, a basis system diagram, a security unitconfiguration, recorded contents of a history record, a data flowchartof each job kind, and an image storing method of the fourth embodimentare similar to those of the first embodiment described above withreference to FIGS. 1 to 7, and thus description thereof will be omitted.A processing procedure during job execution where a job type 7002 is aninput job according to the fourth embodiment is similar to that of theflowchart of FIG. 8 of the second embodiment, and thus descriptionthereof will be omitted.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure during the jobexecution which takes the output form of 1 to N according to the fourthembodiment of the present invention. The process of the flowchart isexecuted by a CPU 2001 of a MFP 1001 or 1010.

First, upon a start of a job, log-recording at the job start time isexecuted (S1301). This processing is similar to that of the step S801 ofFIG. 8.

Next, judgment is made as to whether the log-recording has normally beenexecuted (step S1302). As a result, if it is judged that thelog-recording has not normally been executed or a necessary area has notbeen secured (No), the process proceeds to step S1312, and job endprocessing is executed without continuing the job execution. Then, whenthe job end processing is completed, the process of the flowchart isfinished. On the other hand, if it is judged in the step S1302 that thenecessary area has been secured and the log-recording has normally beenexecuted (Yes), the process proceeds to step S1303.

In the step S1303, the process waits for inputting of image data. Whenan image is inputted, the process proceeds to step S1304. Since the jobof 1 to N of the fourth embodiment is an output job, the inputtingbecomes image reading from a HDD 2004.

In the step S1304, division processing of 1 to N is executed. By thisprocessing, an image of one page is divided and laid out into N pages.In this case, the image is not divided into N pages at once, but theimage is divided one piece at a time. Then, after one division isprepared, the process proceeds to step S1305.

In the step S1305, reference image of the image of one page subjected tothe division layout processing is stored in a storage server 1005.According to the fourth embodiment, since the reference information ofthe image is managed by an image unit, an input job that has input thesame image as was previously executed, records in the storage server1005 an ID identical to an image ID of the image stored in the storageserver 1005. In the job of 1 to N, as a plurality of images are createdfrom one image, an image ID indicating the image input in the step S1303is recorded. In this case, division layout information of the step S1304is recorded together as an image attribute. Based on this attributeinformation, 1 to N information of the image can be recorded, and it ispossible to easily reproduce the image of the division layoutconfiguration later. It is therefore possible to specify an imageprocessed by the job of 1 to N. When the processing of the step S1305ends, the process proceeds to next step S1306.

Next, in the step S1306, judgment is made as to whether the data hasbeen stored in the storage device 1005. As a result, the processproceeds to step S1307 if the storage is performed (Yes), and proceedsto step S1313 if the storage is not performed (No). In the step S1313,cancellation processing of the job is executed and the process proceedsto step S1310. Through this processing, it is possible to preventtransmission or printing/outputting of the image that has not beenstored in the storage server 1005.

In the step S1307, the image subjected to the division layout processingin the step S1304 is output. If the job being executed is a print job, aprint is output to a printer 2095, and transmission processing that usesa network I/F 2010 or a modem 2050 is executed if the job is atransmission job. Since the image storage in the storage serer 1105 ischecked in the step S1306, reference information and an image attributeof the image printed or transmitted are always stored in a securityunit, enabling easy investigation later. When the processing of the stepS1307 ends, the process proceeds to step S1308.

In the step S1308, judgment is made as to whether the divisionprocessing of the step S1304 has all been executed for the image inputin the step S1303. As a result, the process proceeds to step S1309 ifpredetermined division has been completed (Yes), and the process returnsto the step 1304 to continue the division processing if not completed(No).

In the step S1309, judgment is made as to whether the image output inthe step S1307 is a last page. As a result, the process proceeds to stepS1310 if it is a last page (Yes), or returns to the step S1303 to waitfor next image inputting when it is not a last page (No).

In the step S1310, the process waits for a job end. Then, in step S1311,log-recording processing of an item that could not be written because ofits indefiniteness in the step S1301 such as a job end result 4008 isexecuted for the history management server 1006. When the log-recordingends, the process of the flowchart comes to an end.

FIG. 14 shows an example of writing the data in the history managementserver 1006 and the storage server 1005 according to the fourthembodiment. In FIG. 14, in an input job 40001, a job type 7002 is aninput job, e.g., a FAX reception job 7401. In an output job 40101, thejob type 7002 is an output job, e.g., a reception print job 7601. Inother words, the output job 40101 is a job for outputting an image inputby the input job 40001.

The input job 40001 records a history record 40002 in the historymanagement server 1006, and a document file 40010 in the storage server1005. The history record 40002 is constituted of items including adocument ID 40003 described above with reference to FIG. 4. The documentfile 40010 is constituted of a document ID 40011 and each image data40020. By the document ID 40011 and the document ID 40003, the documentfile 40010 is linked with the history record 40002 to represent acorrespondence. The image data 40020 is written in the storage server1005 in the step S805, and constituted of an image ID 40021, an imageattribute 40022, and an image 40023. The image ID is an ID unique foreach page, and the image attribute 40022 is an image format or the likeof the image 40023. The image 40023 is a real image.

In the storage server 1005, one document contains one file, and aplurality of pages (images) can be provided. There is one uniquedocument ID 40011 to one document.

The output job 40101 records a history record 40102 in the historymanagement server 1006, and a document file 40110 in the storage server1005. The history record 40102 is constituted of items including adocument ID 40103 described above with reference to FIG. 4. The documentfile 40110 is constituted of a document ID 40111 and each image data40120, 40130, and 40140. By the document ID 40111 and the document ID40103, the document file 40110 is linked with the history record 40102to represent a correspondence.

The image data 40120 is written in the storage server 1005 in the stepS1305, and constituted of an image ID 40121, and an image attribute40122, but no real image such as an image 40023 is present. The image ID40121 shows a value equal to that the image ID 40021 unique to each realimage. The image attribute 40122 is an image format or the like of theimage 40023. When the division layout of the 1 to N of the flowchart ofFIG. 13 is executed, the image 40023 is divided and laid out in N pagesand outputted. Then, the division layout information is recorded in theimage attribute 40122. According to the present embodiment, the longimage of one page received by the FAX reception job 7401 is divided intothree to be printed by the reception print job 7601. The image data40120 indicates first data after the division of the image 40023 intothree.

Similarly thereafter, 40130 denotes second image data after the divisionof the image 40023 into three, and 40140 denotes third image data. Theimage ID 40131 and the image ID 40141 show values equal to that of theimage ID 40021. In the image attribute 40132 and the image attribute40142, the division layout information created during the divisionprocessing of the step S1304 is recorded together with image formatinformation of the image 40023.

Through the system of recoding the reference information of the imagebased on the image ID 40121 and the image ID 40131, the image ID 40141and the image ID 40021, the outputting is not accompanied by imagerecording in the storage server 1005. Accordingly, it is possible toreduce a recording amount and to prevent a reduction in job executionspeed. Additionally, by recording the image attribute changed in layoutto 1 to N in the image attribute 40122, the image attributes 40132 andthe image attribute 40142 together with the execution of the output job40101, it is possible to represent expansion information or layoutinformation of the image changed from the image 40023 of the input job40001.

As described above, by the configuration and the processing of thefourth embodiment which executes reference information management byimage units, a date, a place and a person of processing, and a type ofprocessing can be efficiently recorded, and thus it is possible to limita speed reduction during job execution to a minimum and to execute andrecord a great volume of jobs in the security unit. Moreover, the layoutinformation changed during the outputting can be represented, wherebymore accurate record can be kept.

Other Embodiments

The exemplary embodiments have been described in detail. Since theamount of recording necessary for image storage can be reduced ascompared with the conventional technology, cost performance is improved.Moreover, since the same image information is held as linkageinformation, ease of retrieval is improved. Since the layout informationis recorded in the attribute information of the image recorded togetherwith the image or the reference information of the image, the image ofthe output time can be reproduced later even if a layout change such asexpansion, reduction, synthesis or division is made. Thus, a moreaccurate record can be kept.

According to the present invention, for example, an embodiment can beemployed as a system, an apparatus, a method, a program or a storagemedium (recording medium). Specifically, the invention may be applied toa system constituted by a plurality of devices, or an apparatusconstituted by one device.

The present invention includes a case where a software program (programcorresponding to the flowchart of each of the embodiments) for realizingthe functions of the embodiment is supplied to a system or an apparatusdirectly or from a remote place, and a computer of the system or theapparatus reads and executes the supplied program code.

Thus, the program code itself installed in the computer to realize thefunction processing of the present invention is also capable ofrealizing the invention. In other words, that the computer programitself realizes the functional processing of the invention is within thescope of the present invention.

In this case, as long as it has a program function, any form such as anobject code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script datasupplied to an OS can be employed.

As recording media for supplying programs, for example, a floppy(registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optical disk, a MO, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a magnetic tape,a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, a DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R), and the likeare available.

Additionally, as a program supplying method, a browser of a clientcomputer can be used to connect to a homepage of Internet, and thecomputer program itself of the invention or a compressed file includingan automatic installing function can be downloaded and supplied from thehomepage in a recording mediums such as a hard disk. The program codeconstituting the program of the invention may be divided into aplurality of files, and each file may be downloaded from a differenthomepage. In other words, a WWW server that causes a plurality of usersto download the program file to realize the functional processing of theinvention by the computer is within the scope of the invention.

The program of the invention may be encrypted and stored in a storagemedium such as a CD-ROM to be distributed to the users, the user whosatisfies predetermined conditions may be permitted to download keyinformation for description from the homepage through the Internet, andthe encrypted program may be executed by using the key information to beinstalled in the computer.

The computer may execute the read program to realize the functions ofeach of the embodiments. The OS or the like operating on the computermay execute a part or all of the actual processing, thereby realizingthe functions of the embodiments.

Furthermore, after the program read from the recording medium is writtenin a memory disposed in a function expansion board inserted into thecomputer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, basedon program instructions, a CPU or the like of the function expansionboard or the function expansion unit may execute a part or all of actualprocessing, thereby realizing the functions of the embodiments.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all modifications, equivalent structures, and functions.

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2005-151611 filed May 24, 2005, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

1. An image processing apparatus comprising: a job execution unitconfigured to execute at least one of an input job accompanied byinputting of image data and an output job unaccompanied by inputting ofimage data; an image data storage unit configured to store image datainput by execution of a job in a predetermined memory separately fromthe execution of the input job in conjunction with the execution of thejob by the job execution unit; a reference information storage unitconfigured to store reference information to the image data stored inthe memory in the same memory separately from the execution of the jobin conjunction with the execution of the job by the job execution unit;and a control unit configured to control the image data storage unit tonewly store image data input by the execution of the input job in thememory when the job executed by the job execution unit is an input job,and the reference information storage unit to store the referenceinformation of the image data stored in the memory without newly storingimage data handled by an output job in the memory by the image datastorage unit when the job executed by the job execution unit is anoutput job.
 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising a history information storage unit configured tostore history information generated in conjunction with the execution ofthe job by the job execution unit in the memory.
 3. The image processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the job execution unitexecutes an output job to output synthesized image data generated bysynthesizing a plurality of image data, the reference informationstorage unit stores reference information of the plurality of image datastored in the memory in the storage unit, while the image data storageunit does not store the synthesized image data in the memory.
 4. Theimage processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the jobexecution unit executes an output job to output each of a plurality ofdivided image data obtained by dividing the image data, the referenceinformation storage unit stores the reference information of the imagedata stored in the memory in the same memory, while the image datastorage unit does not store the plurality of divided image data in thememory.
 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe reference information storage unit stores the reference informationof the image data stored in the memory by each page.
 6. The imageprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the referenceinformation storage unit stores the reference information of the imagedata stored in the memory by each document.
 7. The image processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data storage unitprocesses the image data to store the same in the memory.
 8. The imageprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory is theother device connected through a network.
 9. The image processingapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the reference informationstorage unit stores the reference information in a second memorydifferent from the memory.
 10. A method of controlling an imageprocessing apparatus, comprising: a job execution step of executing atleast one of an input job accompanied by inputting of image data and anoutput job unaccompanied by inputting of image data; an image datastorage step of storing image data input by execution of a job in apredetermined memory separately from the execution of the input job inconjunction with the execution of the job by the job execution step; areference information storage step of storing reference information tothe image data stored in the memory in the same memory separately fromthe execution of the job in conjunction with the execution of the job bythe job execution step; and a control step of controlling the image datastorage step to newly store image data input by the execution of theinput job in the memory when the job executed by the job execution stepis an input job, and the reference information storage step to store thereference information of the image data stored in the memory withoutnewly storing image data handled by an output job in the memory by theimage data storage step when the job executed by the job execution stepis an output job.
 11. A program for executing the image processingmethod of claim 10 in an image processing apparatus.
 12. A computerreadable storage medium storing the program of claim 11.